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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1983-01-12, Page 1131ytJ Branch L.ti nary Box 2U 2 Blyth , into N$14 1110 Jan. 4 3 J IT'S PLAYTIME—Aaron Barnes, Kevin Hogg, Ryan Leibold, Kyle Underwood and Jeremy Hickey get together around a pile of building blocks during free play time at the Wingham Day Care Centre. Wet weather Monday kept the youngsters inside, but they found lots to do anyway. Young Jeremy used quite a few blocks to build himself a car that towered like a skyscraper. PUC wage increase held to five per cent for 1.98.3 The Wingliarn Public Utilities ,Commission has granted an across-the-board five per cent wage and salary increase to its em- ployees for 1983. - The increase, which ap- plies to both office staff and linemen, was approved during a special meeting of the commission held in December. Members really had no option in the matter, PUC Chairman Roy Bennett noted, since the new provincial restraint legisla- tion specifies that increases of no more than five per cent be awarded to public em- ployees this year. At. their January meeting last -week; members.. -also- discussed a hike, in water rates, planned forthis year, but put off setting, the new rate until a special meeting later in 'the month .when all commission', members could ,be present: (Commissioner Rod Wraith had to leave the meeting early to attend another meeting.) . PUC Manager Ken Saxton said that in coming up with a new rate, he has been trying to stick as close to a five per cent increase as possible. However that would not produce .the ; revenue required for waterworks construction projects planned for this summer, so the final increase is likely to be around seven per cent, he reported. , Even at that the increase will - not- generate a lot of --money - abbut45i000 -:ytear-, . he said, but with one of the waterworks debentures being paid off this year it should be enough to get by. The water rate has not been increased since 1978, Mr. Saxton noted, while the costs oft materials have in- flated substantially since then. (The rate was increased in 1977 and again in 1978, by about 25 per cent each time, to head off a growing deficit in the waterworks.) "That's a mistake we all make. We don't take enough," Mayor William Harris , commented. ' He suggested, that, rather than raise the rate just enough to get by, it would be better to add a bit more to permit a small surplus iI :.the, water- works: account_ _. "How much is in the • ac- count now?" he .asked. Procedural by!aw.: adopted by oounal Wingham Town Council has adopted a new bylaw intended to regulate the proceedings of council and its committees. This procedural bylaw, which was developed by the previous council last fall, was given third reading at council's January meeting last week. For the most part, the bylaw simply reflects the traditional practices of past councils. However it does add a few new twists, such as setting an 11 p.m. curfew on meetings, requiring written notice of motions and limiting the time which may be taken up by deputations. Now all motions, with the exception of certain procedural ones, must be submitted to the clerk in writing by the Wednesday preceding a meeting, though this; like other provisions of the bylaw, may be dispensed with by a vote of council. Also. persons wishing to address council at a meeting now are limited to speaking for no more than 10 minutes. A delegation of more than five persons may appoint two speakers, each limited to 10 minutes. The bylaw sets the regular meetings of council as the first Monday of each month, starting at 7 p.m., except for civic holidays, when the meeting is to be held on the following day. It also lists the duties of the head of council and the procedures for presenting and voting on motions, as well as rules for debate which state that' members shall not be interrupted while speaking, use offensive words or unparliamentary language, speak on any subject other than that under debate or criticize any decision of council, except for the purpose of moving that the question be reconsidered. Members breaking the rules may be ejected from a meeting. Change in Utility Act Unpaid hydro bills can now go on taxes A change in the Public Utilities Act will now allow utilities the right to hold landlords responsible for unpaid bills by tenants. The change was enacted in Bill 93 which received Royal Assent by the Ontario Legislature and became effective Nov. 18, 1982. The effect of the bill, ac- cording to a bulletin issued to municipal utilities by the Association of Municipal Electrical Utilities of On- tario (AMEU1, is "to allow utilities the right to tax roll arrears of hydro against the interest of the debtor's lands with no limitation as to the period of such avitears". The actual wording of the amendment to the Public Utilities Act is as follows: Subsection 30 (1) "The amount payable to a municipal corporation or to a public utility or hydro- electric commission of a municipality by the owner or occupant of any lands for the public utility supplied to him for use thereon is a lien and charge upon the estate or interest in such land of the person by whom the amount is due, and may be collected by distress upon the gods and chattels of the person and by the sale of his estate and interest in the lands and in the case of an amount payable by the owner of lands, the amount is a lien and charge upon the lands in the same manner and to the same extent as municipal taxes upon land. 2. "Subsection 30 (1) of the Public Utilities Act, as re- enacted by section 1 of this Act, applies to all amounts payable on the day this Act comes into force and to all amounts that become payable thereafter to a municipal corporation or to o public utility or 'hydro- electric commission of a municipality by the owner or occupant of any lands for the public utility supplied to him for use thereon." Nothing, Mr. Saxton told him. The . money collected each month is just enough to pay the bills. The new rates proposed by the PUC then must go to the. town ,council for final ap- proval. In other business at the. meeting, Mr. Saxton report- ed the PUC had earned, be- fore expenses, slightly over $100,000 doing work for other municipalities during the past year, which iS a new record. "We did a lot of work here too," he added. "At least we spent a jot of money." John Slade of Miller -Slade Insurance Brokers Inc., Kincardine, attended the meeting: to.review .the RUC's Iiitara"lic ptil;icie T' The commission plans to review the coverage further at . its next meeting and decide on any changes. Lastyear the PUC paid just over $6,300 for in- surance, not including the parts of its operation which are insured through the town or Ontario Hydro. This year, with slightly increased coverage 'to account for. inflation, the premium rose by only about one per cent. Expected to e temporary MTH Western Foun"ry has a �rtial callback of workers The Town of Wingharn had some good news this weekwith a ,partial callback of laid -off workers by the Western Foundry. However the increase in orders is expected to be temporary, and the outlook for 1983 remains somewhat bleak. Foundry President Richard LeVan said the e -M back of about a dozen workers is the result of an increasein orders for Volkswagen disc brake rotors from Motor ,*heel Corporation, which machines the rotors which are cast at the Western Foundry. Motor Wheel has ordered. a four-month supply of the rotors to be shipped during January and February, boosting.praduction during those two months. There will be none shipped during March and April., In addition Western Foundry, which has been a 50 per cent supplier of that part for several p years, currently has been able to get 100 per cent of the business, though there is no guarantee how long this will last, Mr. LeVan said. The rotors are produced for the Volkswagen America assembly plant in Pennsylvania. Looking ahead, there is the possibility that by 1985 the foundry could be producing additional pprts such as exhaust manifolds for the new VW a 'se bly plant in Barrie, he added, but that plant has been delayed for a couple of years by reduced demand for the automobiles. The foundry also produces manifolds for the GM Firebird and Camaro, but the heart of the business is in producing diesel engine parts for highway transport trucks, and that market is expected to remain slow for several years, following the general economic downturn. The return of the market for highway trucks will be a signal for us," Mr. LeVan said, as it is a more stable market than that for passenger cars. "I think looking at this year, it will not be a great deal different from last year. Hopefully we'll see some improvements by the end of the year." He said the foundry is looking at diversifying. "The problem with that is the industry is over capacity," and competition is so keen it is almost impossible to take a part away from someone else right now. "As the economy improves there should be some good opportunities_" With the callback, the foundry will add a partial second shift. It had been running just one partial shift since early last fall. This will move it temporarily to about 60 per cent of capacity, up from 40 per cent, Mr. LeVan said. At its highest point last summer, it was running at about 65 per cent of capacity. FIRST SECTION bie tam tthanciezZimt Wingham, Ontario, Wednesday, Jan. 12, 1983 uation tax proposal sparks a lively debate A resolution ..fr n the Town of Exeter, board which would be passed on to suggesting that biiards of education should ratepayers. shoulder more of'Vie burden of tax collet- "I think your numbers are a little bit tion, sparked a lively• if short-lived debate wrong, Jack," objected Councillor James during last week'sfimeeting of the Wingham Currie, one of the supporters. "It's not going Town Council, .kb ,ore being shelved ,"for to cost the ratepayers any more. It should clarification". 1 =; cost less." At least hallio .council appeared to be "We collect interest on the unpaid taxes, very much in >or of the suggestion that don't we? So what's the big deal?" Com - school boards^`: should reimburse cillor Bruce Machan inquired. "We still get. municipalities f*the-cost of collecting the our money." education taxes, and that they also carry the "We're carrying the political can for the burden of any unpaidportion of those taxes. board of education," Mr. Currie told him: Ctitly :nuns ipalities are required to He said this has been an ongoing problem; eollecct hebit3eia li` ttlebo hat sihee+- 5 s must pay. oredire tion levy hifi 1i 1, whether' --WW-n, they assume all the money gogs to the or not theysucceed in collecting the money town. Municipalities have had a hard time from their ratepayer's. This results in explaining the difference between the taxes reduce&cash flows and higher borrowings they collect on their own behalf, and those for municipalities, the resolution noted. collected for the boards of education. However a couple of council members, led However Mr. , Machan still expressed by Councillor Jack Kopas, vigorously op- doubts that this resolution was going to the posed the resolution, claiming it would head of the problem. "I think you've got the accomplish nothing positive.wrong end of the animal." NEW YEAR'S BABY—Little Miranda Margaret Dunbar Mr. Kopas, an employee of the Huron "It's a start'!" Deputy Reeve Patricia was the first baby born at the Wingham and District County board, described it as "a misguided Bailey and others responded. Hospital in 1983. Mandy, as she is to be known, arrived reactionary reflex", which he claimed Eventually council compromised and at 9:45 last Tuesday evening and weighed six pounds, would increase costs to -ratepayers. agreed to table Mr. Currie's motion of the daughter of Cathy and "Nobody likessix ounces at birth. She is .,to be a tax collector," he support for the resolution pending Donald Dunbar of he isve and has one brother, said, but this would create new costs for the clarification of the wording. Christopher, at home. Single Copy 50c J NEW ARMY OFFICERS—Capt. and Mrs. Fred Marshall arrived in Wingham last week to take charge of the Salvation Army Corps here, following the transfer of Capt. and Mrs. Wilson Perrin to Acton. The Marshalls, who served for many years in corps in the northern United States, had recently retired in Hamilton before being called to Wingham. New officers here on temporary assignment New officers arrived at the Wingham Salvation Army Corps last. week. Capt. and Mrs. Fred Marshall are here on a tem- porary assignment to take over from Capt. and Mrs. Wilson Perrin, who were trans- ferred to Acton recently. The Marshalls, who spent many years serving with the Salvation Army in a variety of posts, many of them in the northern IJ. S., were called out of retirement in Hamilton to take charge here. They said they are happy with the assignment and look forward to being here until new officers are com- missioned in June, This is not their first visit to Wingham, Capt. Marshall reported. Both he and his wife were here about 35 years ago as members of the Argyll Citadel Singers from Hamilton, a Salvation Army choir, which gave a program in Wingham. Television was just starting out here at the time, and this was among the first groups to be featured on local TV, he recalled., In addition. they have had some contact with the area through their son, Capt. Harland Marshall, who was in charge of Salvation Army youth activities for this area and ran Camp Selkirk. Visiting suspended at hospital due to flu The flu epidemic which is sweeping the area this winter has forced the Wingham and District Hospital to temporarily suspend visiting on the first floor, and discourage it in other areas. Norman Hayes, executive director, said the hospital took the action this week, on the advice of the medical advisory committee, as a precaution against further infections being brought into the wards. He said he expects it will be in force for just a few days, possibly until the end of the week. Visitors are still allowed onto the second floor, which houses the maternity and children's wards, but that too is being discouraged to prevent infection spreading. This has been a particularly bad winter for the flu, perhaps because of the mild weather, and the effect is being felt by hospital staff too. Mr. Hayes said many staff members are off with the flu themselves, commenting that it seems to have hit this area worse then others. Education tax proposal sparks a lively debate A resolution from the Town of Exeter, suggesting that boards of education should shoulder more of the, burden of tax collection, sparked a lively if short- lived debate during last week's meeting of the Wingham Town Council, before being shelved "for clarification". At (east half of council appeared to be very much in favor of the suggestion that school boards should reimburse municipal ties for the Bost of collecting the education taxes, and that they also carry the burden of any unpaid portion of those taxes. Currently municipalities are required to collect the taxes on behalf of the board and must pay the education levy in full, whether or not they succeed in collecting tht money from their ratepayers. This results in reduced cash flows and higher borrowings for muni- ctpaliues, the resolution. noted. However a couple of council members, led by Councillor Jack Kopas, vigorously- opposed the resolution, claiming it would accomplish nothing positive. Mr. Kopas, an employee of the Huron County board, described it as "a misguided reactionary reflex", which he claimed would increase costs to ratepayers. "Nobody likes to be a tax collector," he said, but this would create new costs for the board which would be passed on to ratepayers. •'i think your numbers are a little bit wrong, Jack," objected Councillor James Currie, one of the sup- porters. "It's not going to cost the ratepayers any more. It should cost less." "We collect interest on the unpaid taxes, don't. we? So what's the big deal?" Councillor Bruce Machan inquired. "We still get our money." "We're carrying the political can for the board of education," Mr. Currie told him. He said this has been an ongoing problem; that since people get their tax bills from the town, they assume all the money goes to the town. Municipalities have had a hard time explaining the difference between the taxes they collect on their own behalf, and those collected for the boards of education. However Mr. Machan still expressed doubts that this resolution was going to the head of the problem. "I think you've got the wrong end of the animal." "It's a start!" Deputy Reeve Patricia Bailey and others responded. Eventually council corn - promised and agreed to table Mr. Currie's motion of support for the resolution pending clarification of the wording.